Heritage Village: Homesteads

Nestled in a grove of pecan trees, the John Blue House is the centerpiece of a collection of homesteads that tell the story of a different time in the region. Each of these structures were first built elsewhere by settlers and farmers in the areas and moved to the grounds for presentation. From the the structures the the homesteads that occupy the land, the grounds provide a glimpse of the culture of the rural Carolinas of the late 1800s.

Nestled in a grove of pecan trees, the John Blue House is the centerpiece of a collection of homesteads that tell the story of a different time in the region. Each of these structures were first built elsewhere by settlers and farmers in the areas and moved to the grounds for presentation.

The McNeill Homestead
Built in the early 1820’s, the McNeill Homestead provides visitors a taste of home of the early 1800’s. Decorated in the fashion of the times, artifacts on display include a spinning wheel, a machine that takes corn kernels off the cob linens from the era the home was built. The restored home consists of a main floor with a rope bed, two smaller rooms in the back and loft where the children slept. It was donated to the Historic Properties Commission by the late Alton Gibson J. Marion McNeill in 1976.

The Shaw Homestead
Built between 1810 and 1825, the Shaw Homestead features an extra half story. The home was moved to the John Blue grounds in 1977 from the Barnes Bridge section of Scotland County. The wide boards used to for the interior paneling have been removed to enable visitors to see the detail of the log construction. It was donated by the late Alton Gibson.

The Jones-Lytch Homestead
The Jones-Lytch Homestead is believed to be of Quaker origin because of the craftsmanship. One interesting feature is the logs, which are fitted closer together in the loft area, which eliminates the need for paneling. This homestead is also sed to help tell the story of cotton in the south. The cabin was built between 1790 and 1810 by Silas Jones in Rockdale, which is now part of Richmond County, an area settled by Quakers.

The Ferguson Study Built
The study of the Rev. A.N. Ferguson was first located at his home. He used this building as his personal study while he served Presbyterian churches in the area. He was pastor of the (Old) Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church from 1871 to 1906 (a church that is considered one of the first to encourage freed slaves to worship as equals in the congregation). The study was initially donated to the church, which kept it on the church grounds until 1990. At that time, the church donated the structure and moved it to the grounds of the John Blue House.

The study is furnished with a desk and chairs from the period, and the
display case contains items which belonged to Rev. Ferguson, including
reading glasses, financial records, and correspondence. Members of his
family, some of whom still live on Scotland County, donated these items.